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An interpolation, in relation to
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
and especially ancient
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...
s, is an entry or passage in a text that was not written by the original author. As there are often several generations of copies between an extant copy of an ancient text and the original, each handwritten by different scribes, there is a natural tendency for extraneous material to be inserted into such documents over time.


Overview

Interpolations originally may be inserted as an authentic explanatory note (for example, ), but may also be included for fraudulent purposes. The forged passages and works attributed to the Pseudo-Isidore are an example of the latter. Similarly, the letters of
Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, ''Ignátios Antiokheías''; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (, ''Ignátios ho Theophóros'', lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer ...
were interpolated by Apollinarian heretics, three centuries after the originals were written. Charters and legal texts are also subject to forgery of this kind. In the 13th century a medieval romance, the Prose ''Tristan'', inserted another prose romance, the Vulgate ''Queste del Saint Graal'', in its entirety in order to reinterpret the Quest for the
Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...
through the optics of the Tristan story.On the Medieval technique of manuscript '' interpolation'' and the Prose ''Tristan'', see Emmanuèle Baumgartner, "La préparation à la ''Queste del Saint Graal'' dans le ''Tristan'' en prose" in Norris Lacy, ed. ''Conjunctures'' (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1994), pp. 1-14, Fanni Bogdanow, "L'Invention du texte, intertextualité et le problème de la transmission et de la classification de manuscrits" ''Romania'' 111 (190): 121-40 and Janina P. Traxler, "The Use and Abuse of the Grail Quest" ''Tristania'' 15 (1994): 23-31. Gaston Paris, in 1897, also noted the interpolation of a verse romance on
Brunor Brunor, Breunor, Branor or Brunoro are various forms of a name given to several different characters in the works of the Tristan tradition of Arthurian legend. They include Knight of the Round Table known as ''Brunor/Breunor le Noir'' (the Black ...
in Prose ''Tristan''.
However, most interpolations result from the errors and inaccuracies which tend to arise during hand-copying, especially over long periods of time. For example, if a scribe made an error when copying a text and omitted some lines, he would have tended to include the omitted material in the margin. However, margin notes made by readers are present in almost all manuscripts. Therefore, a different scribe seeking to produce a copy of the manuscript perhaps many years later could find it very difficult to determine whether a margin note was an omission made by the previous scribe (which should be included in the text) or simply a note made by a reader (which should be ignored or kept in the margin). Conscientious scribes tended to copy everything which appeared in a manuscript, but in all cases scribes needed to exercise personal judgement. Explanatory notes would tend to find their way into the body of a text as a natural result of this subjective process. Modern scholars have developed techniques for recognizing interpolation, which are often apparent to modern observers, but would have been less so for medieval copyists.


Examples


Christianity and Bible

The
Comma Johanneum The Johannine Comma ( la, Comma Johanneum) is an interpolated phrase (comma) in verses of the First Epistle of John. The text (with the comma in italics and enclosed by square brackets) in the King James Bible reads: It became a touchpoint f ...
, for example, is commonly regarded as interpolation. The specific problem of Christian transmission of
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
texts outside the Jewish and Christian canons is often described as Christian interpolation. The comparative study of the Gospels reveals passages present in specials synoptics. These variations are explained by the fact that the gospels have different authors. However, they can be read as an interpolation. These insertions would correspond in a majority of cases to late
theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...
developments, that the editors would have inserted in the original text.


See also

* Western non-interpolations *
Archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual ...
* Media preservation *
Hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate ...
*
Exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...
* Deuteronomist * Elohist * Priestly source


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Interpolation (Manuscripts) .Interpolation (manuscripts) Book terminology Textual scholarship